Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Welcome to The Show! We're always happy to have visitors, even if you're a fan of the visiting team. ;) Everyone is welcome to leave his or her thoughts, opinions, and/or observations in The Friends' Zone (aka "the comments section"), but we do hope that all comments are respectful.

When this blog was started in 2005, the founder moderated all comments. Several months after I took over TSCS, I disabled the moderation in time for the 2007-08 season playoffs. It was the best thing I could have done - fans now come here for conversations and to ask questions and get answers about anything and everything in the NHL, from trying to find tickets to asking why a player has a certain nickname.

For the most part, the First Amendment rules apply to The Friends' Zone. I think it's better when everyone has the freedom to say what he or she wants to say. Occasionally, however, there are some comments that are left by people who are so desperate for attention that they'll say almost anything just to stir the pot. These comments typically fall into one of the following categories:

Calling Sid a diver and/or a whiner: If you choose to slap one of these labels on our title man, you better include conclusive evidence. I'm talking about a video or clear photo of Sid exhibiting either of these behaviors from within the past 6 months. (And don't give me that "Sid always cries to the refs after penalties" as evidence of whining because most captains plead their teams' cases to the refs.) These labels came from a few questionable incidents that happened when Sidney was a rookie at age 18. He has matured a great deal since then - so should you.

Any comment that refers to Sidney as Cindy: It will be deleted. Period. Why? Because it's just stupid. If you want to dis him, come up with an original insult.

Use of the word homer: Unless you're talking about the famous Simpson patriarch, don't. Newsflash - there are 12 year olds who read this blog who don't even talk like that. The "grown up" word is biased. Look it up.

Accusing the author of being biased: Hmmm... this is a Sidney Crosby blog. He plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The author (me) was a Penguins fan loooooong before Sidney wore the black and gold sweater. I was a Pens fan before Sid even hit his teen years, so OF COURSE I'M BIASED!!!Get over it. If you want a "fair and balanced" recap, go to NHL.com.

Swear words: Please use vulgarity sparingly. It's not that I'm offended by swearing. On the contrary, those of you who know me from Commentorblog on ThePensblog.com know that occasionally my mouth can be as foul as a sailor's, but Sid's appeal ranges from the very old to the very young. It's the youngsters I'm trying to look out for with this rule. Just please use your judgment and try to keep it PG-13.

Leaving your email and/or phone number in the hopes that Siddo himself will contact you: Do this at your own risk. I do my best to make it perfectly clear that this is NOT an official Sidney Crosby website. (Just read the disclaimer below the banner at the top of the page!) Should you choose to ignore the disclaimer, you can and will open yourself up to being chastised by Friends of The Show both in The Friends' Zone and in your email and/or voicemail.

Use of the word puckbunny when addressing the author or any female Friend of The Show: Everyone knows that puckbunny is a loaded word for female hockey fans. Personally, I'm secure in the knowledge that I love the sport of hockey and probably know more about it than some of the male fans, so I don't give a rat's patootey if someone calls me that. But for some women, the impact of that word is nearly the equivalent of that four letter word that starts with a C and ends with a T. Therefore its use will not be taken lightly, and I won't enforce any of these rules that I'm listing here when the girls decide to come after you for using it in The Friends' Zone. Besides, let's be honest here - it says a lot more about you than it does about any of us if you use that term because you are that threatened by girls who love hockey and may occasionally swoon over some of the players. (The word "overcompensation" immediately comes to mind...)

Mocking, antagonizing, insulting, criticizing, or provoking any other Friend of The Show: Friendly debates are welcomed and encouraged, but nasty comments directed at others WILL NOT be tolerated under any circumstances.

Criticizing the author: I'm not afraid of what you think of me, Sid, or this blog. But make sure your comment follows the aforementioned guidelines and make sure you can handle my response. (Trust me, I'm no shrinking violet.) For the record, constructive criticism and/or correcting me when I'm wrong is fine - I'm woman enough to take it. Actually, I want you guys to point out when I'm mistaken! What I'm talking about with this guideline is leaving a hateful comment to or about me just because you hate my team.

Any comment that violates any of the above policies can and probably will be deleted.

Thanks for stopping by The Show. We hope you'll stick around and chat with us and have some fun. :)

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